The depilation technique of applying a thermofusible product, such as, for example, depilation wax, consists in melting a certain amount of this product which, at room temperature, is in a solid or doughy form, and applying a layer of the product onto the area to be depilated. After it has dried, i.e. once it has cooled, the film of thermofusible product is removed with the help of any appropriate means, the hairs on the skin then being removed due to their solidification with the melted thermofusible product.
Devices for applying depilation wax are currently known which are stored in a reservoir of wax which is heated by any appropriate means. Said reservoirs can consist either of non-refillable cartridges for single use only, which are inserted in the wax application devices, or of receptacles which are fixed inside the application devices, whose opening can be accessed from the outside so that the reservoirs can be refilled, as the wax stored is gradually dispensed.
In order to dispense the wax, the devices include a simple wax roller for distributing the wax so that the wax can be deposited on the skin in thin layers. These rollers are attached either to the replaceable cartridge or to the heads positioned on the devices which house fixed reservoirs.
An example of a cartridge with a built-in roller is disclosed in ES1016006U. The cartridge disclosed comprises a holder for the roller, removably attached to the opening of the cartridge, which must turn at an angle of 90° in order to be separated from the cartridge. Once the holder has been removed, the roller can be replaced. This system allows the roller to be changed manually, thus eliminating any problems of hygiene, which resulted from the same roller being used for different people.
Another example of a cartridge with an application roller is disclosed in ES2026370, which describes an interchangeable head in the form of a roller, which is attached to the wax cartridge. This head is positioned between two opposite sides of the cartridge opening, which can be adjusted to fit into a support frame with a handle adapted to be housed inside a cavity of a piece of heating apparatus used to melt the wax before being applied. A roller is mounted in the opening of the device, the ends whereof are fitted by pushing them in both openings with insertion slots located in said two opposite sides of the cartridge opening.
Another type of applicator is disclosed in ES2076224, which describes an application device and a box, the application device containing a fixed receptacle of thermal conduction material wherein the product to be heated, especially depilation wax, is housed, and which is in the form of a rechargeable block, said receptacle having in its upper part an application head fitted with a roller. The box has means for heating the product, such as a block of depilation wax stored in said receptacle, to softening point.
Devices with interchangeable cartridges, such as those described above, for example, have the drawback of being costly for professional use since a large stock of wax cartridges have to be stored. These cartridges occupy storage and transport space, which increases the price per volume of wax stored. In order to solve this problem, there are application devices which incorporate a fixed, refillable container, which can be filled with wax which is stored in loose form. However, these applicators have the drawback that the roller, attached to the head of the devices, hinders access when the reservoir has to be refilled.
In order to provide a solution to the aforementioned drawbacks, ES2187693 discloses a depilation wax applicator which comprises a container which houses a fixed reservoir for wax inside, made of a good heat conduction material and which is thermally linked to heating means, and which incorporates an application roller positioned close to the opening of the reservoir. In particular, the aforementioned application roller is mounted on a runner which can move between a working position wherein the roller extends over the outlet hole of the reservoir, allowing the liquid wax to flow between its outer edge and the inner surface of the head, and a position of release from said hole in order to allow said reservoir to be filled with thermofusible product. Although some of the abovementioned drawbacks are overcome, this type of device still requires manual handling for the longitudinal movement in both directions of the runner, which may adopt any position between the working position and the release position, which is why correct use of the applicator cannot be guaranteed. On the other hand, no description is given in this document as to how the roller of the application device can be replaced.
With the arrival of beauty salons, which is what such establishments offering this depilation service to customers in a professional and more generalised way are called, this type of application has to overcome the problem arising from working with a large number of customers, which may involve the use of large quantities of wax, as well as the need to be able to quickly change the various additional components, such as the rollers, in the applicators.
There is a clear lack of any applicator for depilation wax which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks, both as regards the need to be able to remove the roller from the opening of the device in order to refill the reservoir, to ensure that the latter is in the correct position for application, and the need for the user not to have to risk getting soiled when replacing the roller used.